The Custom of the Country Chapter 14 Summary

Chapter 14 Summary

Two years have gone by, and Undine is in Mr. Popple’s studio for the last sitting for the portrait he is doing of her. After the sitting, Popple invites special visitors for tea. This group will be the first to see the painting and will comment on it.

As Undine listens to the critiques of her portrait, she reflects on the men in her life. She refers to her husband as the purveyor of the dowdy and exclusive. In contrast, she believes Popple completely understands her inner soul and her desires. Peter Van Degen exhibits another type of exclusiveness, one that Undine can relate to: it is the exclusiveness that expresses Peter’s contempt for everything he does not understand or cannot buy. She also looks at New York...